ACCORDING TO HOPE

How often do we express hope?  Do we really believe that hoping will make it so?  Or, do we express hope to convince ourselves that whatever we hope for can be the answer for our thoughts? What is hope?

According to the dictionary, it is defined as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. As a verb, it includes “expect with confidence “and “to cherish a desire with anticipation”. Its opposites include feelings of rejection, hopelessness and despair.  Overall, hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.

Positive psychologists such as Barbara Fredrickson recognize that hope comes into play when crises loom in one’s life by opening new creative opportunities. She asserts that a wide range of ideas, as well as positive emotions, can arise from one’s self awareness such as empowerment, courage and joy. She says hopeful people are “like the little engine that could by keep telling themselves “I think I can, I can”. Such positive thinking occurs when based on a realistic sense of optimism, not on a naive “false hope”. Charles Snyder and Alfred Adler linked hope and willpower with determining a reachable goal. Snyder postulated that there are three main things that comprise hopeful thinking: (1) Goals-approaching life in a goal-oriented way, (2) Pathways-finding different ways to achieve your goals, (3) Agency-believing that you can instigate change and achieve these goals. Snyder believes that hopeful people can accomplish these three goals with perseverance even when obstacles get in their way.

It seems that being optimistic is an inherent component of hope.  One of life’s greatest challenges is be positive in one’s thinking regardless of the obstacles we face or the dreams we have for the future.

BEING THANKFUL

When we watch television or read a newspaper we are often inundated with devastating news such as murders, terrorism, or horrific incidents like in Las Vegas and Newton, Connecticut. Undoubtedly, these events are upsetting and very depressing.  It seems that internationally, we are faced with the possibility of nuclear war. Yet, we do have the opportunity to be thankful for the saner moments we have.

This November 23, 2917 is Thanksgiving Day in America.  It was first held in 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts when the pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower.  This holiday has become a tradition to give us the opportunity to express our thanks for the blessings we have despite the sadness and depressing events that face us personally or socially. It seems that historically, it was not an easy time for the first settlers but they found help from the Wampanoag Indians who taught them how to cultivate the land. Eventually, the first Thanksgiving was held for three days with the Indians invited as guests.  Imagine how meaningful the holiday was for the first settlers.  It was a true blessing for them after a grueling trip across the ocean.  You might say they were some of our earliest immigrants.

It wasn’t until the 1660s that the holiday took on any significance. The author of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, Sarah Josepha Hale is thought to be the person who persuaded Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.  In 1863 President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday to be observed on the last Thursday in November to be the national day of Thanksgiving.  It was traditionally a religious and cultural celebration.  Today, similar holidays exist in other countries throughout the world in which people hold ceremonies to give thanks, common in almost all religions and cultures, especially after harvests.

It is particularly interesting to know that our friendly neighbor Canada was thought to have its first Thanksgiving in 1578.  It is believed that it occurred when an explorer Martin Frobisher held a Thanksgiving celebration for surviving his journey from England.  Some believe that these celebrations can be attributed to French settlers who came to New France in the 1600s with the explorer Samuel de Champlain. He celebrated successful harvests which were shared with the native people and had large feasts of thanks. However, most Canadians consider Thanksgiving a statutory holiday.  There are other places or countries such as Germany, Japan, Grenada, Liberia and some Caribbean islands who celebrate a variety of Thanksgiving holidays.  Most important is the observation that many people throughout the world take time to give thanks for the blessings they have. It’s the dedication toward life that has value.